Career

Richards got his big TV break in 1979, appearing in Billy Crystal‘s first cable TV special. In 1980, he began as one of the cast members on ABC’sFridays television show, including a famous instance in which guest Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman causing him to throw his drink into Richards’ face, before a small riot ensued (Richards later claimed he was in on the joke).[6] The film Man on the Moon featured a re-enactment of the Andy Kaufman incident in which Richards was portrayed by actor Norm Macdonald (although he is never referred to by name so he could be seen as a composite character taking the place of Richards).He was also famous for a brief sketch that he did on the show, during which he simply improvised with a large pile of dirt and some army toys. In 1989, Richards had a strong supporting role in “Weird Al” Yankovic‘s comedy film UHF. On television, Richards also appeared in Miami Vice (as an unscrupulous bookie), Cheers (as a character trying to collect on an old bet with Sam Malone), and made several guest appearances with Jay Leno as an accident-prone fitness expert.According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman, ABC first conceived the series Monk as a police show with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder. Hoberman said that ABC wanted Richards for the Monk role, but Richards turned it down.[7]

Seinfeld

In 1989, he was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBCtelevision seriesSeinfeld, which was created by fellow Fridays cast member Larry David and comedianJerry Seinfeld. Although it got off to a slow start, by the mid-1990s, the show had become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. The series ended its nine-year run in 1998 at #1 in the Nielsen ratings. In the setting of Seinfeld, Kramer is usually referred to by his last name only and is the neighbor of the show’s eponymous character. Kramer’s first name Cosmo was revealed in the sixth season episode “The Switch“.Richards won more Emmys than any other cast member on Seinfeld. He took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993, 1994 and 1997.Starting in 2004, he and his fellow Seinfeld cast members provided interviews and audio commentaries for the Seinfeld DVDs, but Richards stopped providing audio commentary after Season 5. He continued to provide interviews.

The Michael Richards Show

In 2000, after the end of Seinfeld, Richards began work on a new series for NBC, his first major project since Seinfeld’s high-profile finale. The Michael Richards Show, for which the actor received co-writer and co-executive producer credits, was originally conceived as a comedy/mystery starring Richards as a bumbling private investigator. However, after the first pilot failed with test audiences, NBC ordered that the show be retooled into a more conventional, office-based sitcom before its premiere. After a few weeks of poor ratings and negative reviews, it was canceled.

Laugh Factory Incident

On November 17, 2006, during a performance at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, a camera phone video captured Richards[1][9] shouting “Shut up! Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!” to a pair of black hecklers in the audience, followed by repeated shouts of “He’s a nigger!” to the rest of the audience[10] (using the racial epithet six times altogether and making a reference to lynching).[11] Another black member of the audience who was offended by the remarks retorted by calling Richards a “cracker” and “fucking white boy.”[10][12]Richards made a public apology for his racist remarks, during a telephoned appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, when Jerry Seinfeld was the guest.[13] He described going into a rage and said, “For me to be at a comedy club and to flip out and say this crap, I’m deeply, deeply sorry.” He said he was trying to defuse heckling by being even more outrageous, but that it had backfired. Richards later called civil rights leaders Al Sharpton[14] and Jesse Jackson[15] in order to apologize. He also appeared as a guest on Jackson’s syndicated radio show.[16]Kyle Doss, one of the members of the group that Richards had addressed, gave his explanation to CNN of the events prior to the cell phone video. He said that they had arrived in the middle of the performance and that, “I guess we’re being a little loud, because there was 20 of us ordering drinks. And Richards said, ‘Look at the stupid Mexicans and blacks being loud up there.'”[14] Richards then continued with his routine. Doss added, “And, then, after a while, I told him, my friend doesn’t think you’re funny,” which triggered Richards’ outburst.The incident was later parodied on several TV shows, including MadTV, Family Guy, South Park, Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm; in the last, he appeared as himself.

Personal life

In July 2007, partly due to the incident at the Laugh Factory club in November 2006, Richards announced that he has retired from stand-up comedy for “spiritual healing” purposes and would be traveling with his fiancée to Cambodia, where they would visit Angkor Wat, as well as more remote temples, on a tour sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Nithyananda Foundation.[17]Richards is a Freemason and also a 33° member of the Scottish Rite. He has been very active in preservation of Masonic research.[18][19]